Karachi: Food for thought about the unthinkable reality.

The attack on Karachi airport last night will have sent a shudder down the spine of national and aviation security people everywhere. It was the sort of attack that was pretty much inevitable sooner or later. It is almost something people haven't dared to think about. Many heads remain deeply buried in the sand because the solution is so difficult.

Fortunately, though not for those who died or were seriously injured there, Karachi was a relatively limited action. There is no guarantee that any similar events will be. They were also fortunate in that there is an armed and capable military presence on the airport.

How many airports worldwide can honestly say that that if a lorry load of terrorists were to suddenly run into a terminal and another break through the gates onto the ramp they have 24/7 SAS type teams on hand to immediately counter and contain the attack?  If they can't, then within minutes hundreds or thousands could be dead in the terminals and every aircraft on the ramp on fire. It doesn't bear thinking about,- and yet it must be. Not only the security forces but every airport, manager, dispatcher and aircraft Captain must have a picture of what they would do in this situation.

Airlines operate through a good number of airports on the basis that the perimeter security is good enough to stop any such attack before it reaches anywhere it can do harm. In too many cases this is a fiction. The problem is that everybody knows that  if a tougher view were taken a good number of major, never mind minor, cities would immediately lose their air services. Indeed many global networks would collapse and international travel would be in an impossible state.

Whether one likes it or not, the minimum requirement for any international airport should be the presence 24/7/365 of a highly trained and appropriately armed rapid response unit ready for instant response when the "Go" button is pressed. Every minute counts. No time for struggling into kit and picking up equipment. The same goes for some tourist resort areas in higher risk parts of the world and no amount of complaining about the perceived unfairness of adverse foreign government travel advisories can disguise the fact. If one thinks about a middle of the night event and the likely speed of response in some parts of the world, it quickly becomes frightening and then terrifying. Worst of all, it's real.

The unthinkable must get further thought , followed by real action- and quickly.